CONTINUOUS FLOW ROI SCENARIO
Midsized Brewery Seeking to Enhance Malt Weighing Process
Background
A brewery seeking operational efficiency improvements engaged our team to assess their malt weighing process. The original setup included:
- A single Ruit Brewtech® Flowscale® that measured malt from the main silo
- Handloads and super sacks managed manually by a team of three per shift
Our goal was to propose an upgraded system that would enhance their operations and streamline the weighing process to increase productivity and reduce labor costs, allowing the brewery to increase productivity in the rest of their operation and further reduce costs.
Challenges
- A manual handload and super sack system, leading to inefficient processes
- A lack of measurement for handloads and super sacks
- A three-person team required per shift, with one acting as lead
Proposed Solution
We recommended implementing a comprehensive solution that involved:
- Installing a second Ruit Brewtech continuous flow Flowscale for improved metering accuracy and efficiency
- Realigning the handload and super sack processes to be in sync
- Implementing a recipe-based programming system to automate the entire process
Benefits
- Enhanced accuracy and efficiency in the malt weighing process
- A reduction in labor costs and personnel required per shift
- Improved data integrity due to the measurement and tracking of handloads and super sacks
- Standardized, recipe-based programming for streamlined operations and better quality control
Return on Investment Projections
Our proposal outlined several expense scenarios and potential gains, with corresponding return on investment (ROI) calculations.
| Proposed Solution | Expense | Gain | ROI |
| Eliminate the manual labor of 4 people with 1 Flowscale | $28,500 | $264,000 | $826% |
| Eliminate the manual labor of 4 people with 2 Flowscales | $57,000 | $264,000 | $363% |
| Eliminate the manual labor of 4 people with 2 Flowscales and additional automation | $85,500 | $264,000 | 209% |
| Eliminate the manual labor of 3 people with 1 Flowscale (some hand adding maintained) | $28,500 | $198,000 | 595% |
| Eliminate the manual labor of 3 people with 2 Flowscales (some hand adding maintained) | $57,000 | $198,000 | 247% |
| Eliminate the manual labor of 3 people with 2 Flowscales and additional automation (some hand adding maintained) | $85,500 | $198,000 | 132% |
The financial analysis demonstrates compelling return on investment figures across various expense scenarios.
By introducing an additional Flowscale, realigning processes, and implementing a recipe-based system, our proposed solutions promise significant improvements in operational efficiency, labor cost reduction, and recipe accuracy for this brewery client.
Conclusion
There are significant potential benefits to investing in process optimization and continuous flow metering and mixing systems for breweries and distilleries seeking to achieve higher productivity and cost savings.